Sample Inventory Kit
Exactly what the kit builder gives you, built for a fictional three-county area: Key Takeaways, What to Do Next and the Excel workbook.
This Is a Sample Kit
Built for a fictional three-county area that is starting from its website listings and a chamber list, with interns doing the checking. You get the same Key Takeaways, What to Do Next and Excel workbook. Yours will use your own area, categories and answers.
Sample Inventory Kit
Built for Sample County and Neighbors. Download the workbook, then follow the five steps below. The same steps are on the workbook’s Start Here tab.
25columns
11categories
3counties
5towns
Key Takeaways
Your workbook has four tabs: Start Here, Inventory, Summary and Lists. The Inventory tab has 25 columns at the Standard level, with room for 600 places.
Your 3 counties, 5 towns and 11 categories are already in the dropdowns, so everyone spells them the same way. The Summary tab counts places in each category by county as you type.
Because it’s for a bit of everything, we added Live on Website, In Visitor Guide and Signature Asset as columns.
It includes your own category (Fishing Access) and your own column (Parking).
Every row has a Verification Status and a Last Verified date, so you always know what’s confirmed and what’s due for a recheck.
What to Do Next
Five steps, in order, from an empty workbook to a list you can trust. They’re tailored to your answers.
1
Paste In What You Already Have
Why: Starting from lists you already have saves weeks, and the status column keeps unconfirmed rows separate from checked ones.
How to start: Copy your current website listings and your chamber or member list into the Inventory tab, matching each of your columns to ours. Set Verification Status to “Listed, not yet confirmed” on every pasted row. Ask your chamber for its list as a spreadsheet, not a PDF.
2
Verify One Category or Town at a Time
Why: Small batches are faster to call through and make it easier to see what’s missing.
How to start: Have each person verify ten rows, then check them together before they do more. Agree on phone and address formats on day one.
3
Check the Summary Tab for Gaps
Why: It counts every category in every county, so gaps show up on their own.
How to start: Look for red zeros. Each one is either a real gap or a place you haven’t added yet, so note which is which before you share the numbers.
4
Share It With Partners
Why: One shared list means your website, guide and partners all use the same information.
How to start: Send the workbook to your chamber and neighboring offices, and agree on who updates which towns or categories.
5
Set a Yearly Recheck
Why: Places open, close and change hours. Rows not verified in the last 12 months turn red.
How to start: Put a date on your calendar now. Sort by Last Verified and recheck the oldest rows first.
Your Columns
What goes in each column of the Inventory tab, with an example. The Summary tab counts places in each category by county.
| Column | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ID | A short code that never changes, so you can match rows later. | SAM-001 |
| Name | The name the business or place uses on its own sign or website. | Millbrook Creamery |
| Category | Pick from the list. One category per row. | Food and Drink |
| Type | A plain-language type within the category. | Ice cream shop |
| Street Address | Street address only. Write 'No street address' for trailheads and overlooks and fill in the coordinates. | 12 Main St |
| Town | The town or village visitors would recognize. | Millbrook |
| County | Pick from the list. | Sample |
| State | Two-letter abbreviation. | NY |
| ZIP | Five digits. | 00000 |
| Phone | The public phone number, written the same way every time. | 555-555-0142 |
| Website | The business's own website. Use a social media page only if there's no website. | https://millbrookcreamery.com |
| Latitude | Decimal degrees. In Google Maps, right-click the spot and click the numbers to copy them. | 42.12345 |
| Longitude | Decimal degrees, negative in the U.S. | -76.54321 |
| Google Maps Link | The Share link from the business's Google Maps listing. | https://maps.app.goo.gl/... |
| Hours or Season | Pick from the list, then add details in Notes. | Seasonal |
| Description | One or two sentences on what a visitor will find. No hype words, no 'best'. | Small-batch ice cream from a family dairy, with a walk-up window and picnic tables. |
| Theme | Leave blank at first. Fill it in once the inventory is done and the themes are clear. | Farm to table |
| Live on Website | Is this listing on your website now? | No |
| In Visitor Guide | Will this appear in the next printed guide or map? | Yes |
| Signature Asset | Would a visitor travel here for this alone? Keep this list short. | No |
| Parking | Your own column. Decide with your team what goes here and write it the same way every time. | Yours to define |
| Verification Status | Verified = confirmed by phone, in person or on the business's own current website. | Verified |
| Last Verified | The date you last confirmed the row. Rows older than 12 months turn red. | 2026-11-09 |
| Source | Where you confirmed it: a phone call, a site visit or a link. | Phone call with owner |
| Notes | Anything else: seasonal hours, parking, cash only. | Open May to October. Cash and card. |
Verification statuses: “Verified”, “Listed, not yet confirmed”, “Needs check” and “Closed or moved”.
Compare NotesAsk other rural tourism offices how they keep listings current and who does the checking.Join the Community Forum →Planning a New Website?A clean inventory is half the work. Build a ready-to-send website RFP next, free.Try the Website RFP Builder →Read the ResearchWhat rural tourism offices told us about their budgets, staff and the work that gets pushed aside.See the Research →
Rather hand off the checking? Our Verified Asset Inventory confirms every listing and returns a clean spreadsheet.